Eating Meat May Protect People at Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease

A 15-year Swedish study finds meat may shield carriers of the APOE4 gene against Alzheimer’s—unless they’re eating processed meats.

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Eating more meat may help protect memory in older adults who carry a common Alzheimer’s risk gene, according to a new long-term study from Sweden.

Among people carrying the APOE4 gene, a gene that puts people at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, those who ate the most meat in their weekly diets showed slower declines in memory and thinking compared with those who ate the least meat.